Enclosure with backplane

ABSTRACT

An enclosure includes a bottom plate, a cover, a number of parallel sidewalls perpendicularly connected between the bottom plate and the cover, and a backplane perpendicularly mounted to the bottom plate and adjacent to the sidewalls. Each of the sidewalls includes a hook. The backplane defines a number of locking slots for receiving the hooks of the sidewalls. A latch member is secured to the backplane. The latch member includes a locking board which is movable back and forth. The locking board forms a stopping portion and a supporting portion. A tongue extends from a rear side of the cover. When the locking board is moved forwards to a locking position, the stopping portion abuts a rear end of the abutting tab, and the supporting portion abuts a bottom side of the abutting tab.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an enclosure including a backplane.

2. Description of Related Art

A server or storage apparatus includes a plurality of hard disk drives received in an enclosure and electrically connected to a backplane mounted in the enclosure. The backplane is traditionally fixed by screwing. However, mounting the backplane with screws is tedious and inefficient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric, exploded view of an embodiment of an enclosure and a plurality of hard disk drives, the enclosure including two latch members.

FIG. 2 is enlarged view of one of the latch member in FIG. 1, but shown from a different perspective.

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the enclosure of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion IV of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one.”

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of an enclosure includes a bottom plate 10, a plurality of parallel sidewalls 20 perpendicularly extending up from the bottom plate 10, a cover 30, a backplane 40, and two latch members 50.

The sidewalls 20 are adjacent to a front side of the bottom plate 10. Each of the sidewalls 22 includes a plurality of connecting tabs 22 at a top of the sidewall 22. Each of the connecting tabs 22 defines a fastening hole 221. An L-shaped hook 21 is connected to each of the sidewalls 20. Each of the hooks 21 includes an extension portion 211 extending from a rear end of a sidewall 21, and a blocking portion 212 extending up from a rear end of the extension portion 211. A plurality of hard disk drives 800 can be arranged between neighboring sidewalls 20.

A plurality of bulges 11 protrudes from a top side of the bottom plate 10, adjacent to the rear ends of the sidewalls 20.

Two tongues 31 extend from a rear side of the cover 30. The cover 30 defines a plurality of fixing holes 32 corresponding to the fastening holes 221 of the sidewalls 20.

The backplane 40 defines a plurality of vertically elongated retaining slots 41 and two horizontally elongated attachment slots 43 in a middle of the backplane 40.

Referring to FIG. 2, each of the latch members 50 includes a base board 51, two first engagement arms 52 extending forwards from the base board 51 and adjacent to a bottom of the base 51, a stepped connecting board 53 extending forwards and up from the base board 51, a locking board 54 perpendicularly connected to a top of the connecting board 53, and a second engagement arm 55 extending forwards from the connecting board 53 adjacent to the locking board 54. The base board 51 defines a finger-receiving hole 512 adjacent to a top of the base board 51. A wedged protrusion 521 extends up from each of the first engagement arms 52 adjacent to a distal end of the first engagement arm 52. A triangular abutting block 523 extends down from a middle of each of the first engagement arms 52. A wedged protrusion 551 extends down from each of the second engagement arms 55 adjacent to a distal end of the second engagement arm 55. A stopping tab 542 and a supporting tab 543 extend up and forwards from a front side of the locking board 54. A manipulation portion 541 slantingly extends up from a rear side of the locking board 54.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in assembly, the cover 30 is fixed to the sidewalls 20 with a plurality of screws extending through the fixing holes 32 of the cover 30 and fastened in the fastening holes 221 of the sidewalls 20. The first engagement arms 52 of the two latch members 50 extend through the two attachment slots 43 of the backplane 40 from a rear side of the backplane 40. At the same time, the second engagement arms 55 ride on the backplane 40. The wedged protrusion 521 of the first engagement arms 52 and the wedged protrusion 551 of the second engagement arms 55 abut a front surface of the backplane 40. The abutting block 523 of the first engagement arms 52 and the connecting boards 53 of the latch members 50 abut a back surface of the backplane 40. Thereby, the latch members 50 are mounted to the backplane 40. The backplane 40 is perpendicularly mounted to the bottom plate 10 with the bulges 11 abutting against the back surface of the backplane 40 and the hooks 21 of the sidewalls 20 extending through the retaining slots 41 of the backplane 40 to make the blocking portions 212 of the hooks 21 abut the back surface of the backplane 40. The backplane is thus prevented from moving rearwards, by the hooks 21 and the bulges 11. The manipulation portions 541 of the latch members 50 are pressed to drive the locking boards 54 of the latch members 50 to move rearwards, thereby preventing the supporting tabs 543 from interfering with the cover 30. The connecting boards 53 of the latch members 50 are deformed. When the backplane 40 is mounted in place, the manipulation portions 541 are released. The connecting boards 53 of the latch members 50 restore to drive the locking board 54 to move forwards to a locking position, where the tongues 31 of the cover 30 press on the supporting tabs 543 to prevent the backplane 40 from moving up, and abut front sides of the stopping tabs 542 to prevent the backplane 40 from moving forwards. In this way, the backplane 40 is fixed in place.

To detach the backplane 40, the manipulation portions 541 of the latch members 50 are pressed to drive the locking aboard 54 to an unlocking position, where the supporting tabs 543 and the stopping tabs 542 disengage from the cover 30, and enable the backplane 40 to be moved up and away from the sidewalls 20.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description of embodiments, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only and changes may be made in detail, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An enclosure, comprising: a bottom plate; a plurality of parallel sidewalls perpendicularly extending up from the bottom plate, a hook extending from a rear end of each of the sidewalls; a cover fixed to tops of the sidewalls, and comprising a tongue extending from a rear side of the cover; a backplane perpendicularly mounted to the bottom plate, the backplane defining a plurality of retaining slots correspondingly receiving the hooks of the sidewalls; and a latch member secured to the backplane, and comprising a locking board forming a supporting tab and a stopping tab, wherein the locking board is operable to move between a first position, where the tongue of the cover presses on a top of the supporting tab to prevent the backplane from moving up, and abuts a front side of the stopping tab to prevent the backplane from moving forwards, and a second position, where the supporting tabs and the stopping tabs disengage from the cover.
 2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the backplane further defines an attachment slot; the latch member further comprises a base board and two first engagement arms extending forwards from the base board through the attachment slot of the backplane, a wedged protrusion extends up from each of the first engagement arms adjacent to a distal end of the first engagement arm to abut a front surface of the backplane, an abutting block extends down from a middle of each of the first engagement arms to abut a back surface of the backplane.
 3. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein the latch member further comprises a resilient connecting board connected between the base board and the locking board.
 4. The enclosure of claim 3, wherein the latch member further comprises a second engagement arm extending forwards from the connecting board and riding on the backplane, the connecting board is stepped and extending forwards and up from the base board, the connecting board abuts a rear surface of the backplane, a wedged protrusion extends down from each of the second engagement arms adjacent to a distal end of the second engagement arm to abut a front surface of the backplane.
 5. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein the base board defines a finger-receiving hole adjacent to a top of the base board.
 6. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the locking board of the latch member comprises a manipulation portion.
 7. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein a plurality of bulges protrudes on a top side of the bottom plate to abut a back surface of the backplane. 